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Crowds Visit Goodyear Blimp 'Spirit of America' In Carson Before It's Decommissioned

CARSON (CBSLA.com) — Crowds gathered Friday in Carson to see the Goodyear blimp Spirit of America before it's decommissioned.

"I've never been this close to it before," said Adam Filipovich of Driftwood, Texas. "My dad used to take me here and see it, and we used to take pictures on the hood of our car."

That was four years ago before Adam's parents moved him to Texas, but his dad brought him back for one weekend just so he can see the blimp up close.

Adam is one of thousands who reserved a ticket to see Spirit of America before it's decommissioned Monday.

"This thing is huge. It's my house times a thousand," said David Carr of Lomita.

The up-close, rare look at the airship commissioned in 2002 and named in honor of the nation's patriotic spirit after 9/11, the Spirit of America flew 8,000 flights and carried 30,000 passengers.

Although this is the end of an era, it is not the end to the blimp in Southern California.

The blimp is expected to be replaced by its twin ship Spirit of Innovation in late September for the next year while a new blimp is built in Akron, Ohio.

"We're kind of calling it the new Goodyear blimp that technically for aeronautical terms, it's a semi-rigid airship," said Bill Bayliss, a Goodyear blimp pilot.

That blimp is expected to be bigger, faster and more maneuverable.

"There are actually four propellers, three engines, there is one on the tail as well, so we can hoover a lot easier," Bayliss said.

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